Unit of measure / repeating barcodes

Modified on Mon, 26 Jun, 2023 at 3:42 PM

Overview

Unit of measure is a functionality that allows you to share inventory between more than one product. Repeating barcodes are a functionality that allows two products to share the same UPC. The two concepts are discussed in this article since they are very often used in conjunction with one another.

Before we dive into the details - here's also a video made by one of our techs on the topic as well that is a great overview:

Procedure

OTHER BARCODES

Other barcodes are used when you have one product but that one product has multiple UPCs.

To set up an "Other" barcode, use the following procedure:

Go to the Product Edit page in the back office
Click on "Alternate codes"
Type in the new UPC (1) and set the "Type" to "Other" (2)
Click "Accept" (3)
Click "Save" on the Product Edit page

Now you can scan both UPCs as they will be tied to the same product.

REPEATING BARCODES

Repeating barcodes are used when you have two separate products that share the same UPC. A repeating barcode will prompt the cashier to select which product is being sold at the POS when either product is scanned.

For example, I have Beer A and Beer B. Both have a UPC code of 123456.

For Beer A, I'll change the UPC code to 123456A (or a system-generated code) and add 123456 as a "Repeating Barcode".

For Beer B, I'll change the UPC code to 123456B (or a system-generated code) and add 123456 as a "Repeating Barcode".

To set up a repeating barcode, follow these steps:

Go to the Product Edit page in the back office
Change the original UPC code. You may change the barcode manually or by using a system-generated UPC code
1. Manually- Add an additional number and/or letter to the end of the UPC code
2. System-generated- Delete the UPC code and double-click in the empty UPC Code field
Click on "Alternate codes"
Type in the shared UPC code and set the "Type" to "Repeating"
Click "Accept"
Click "Save" on the Product Edit page
Repeat steps 1-6 for as many products as you'd like. Make sure the UPC code in Step 2 is unique.

At the POS when a cashier scans one of these products, they will be prompted to select from all products that share a repeating barcode.

UNIT OF MEASURE

Unit of measure is where you want to ring up two or more separate products but the inventory is really the same. An example would be a case of beer that your staff may break down into 6 packs, that may get broken down into single cans. When you buy the product from the supplier you only ever buy cases but the prices are different and when you count inventory, you have to deal with all three.
If you join them all to the same unit of measure then:
1) When you look at the quantity on hand from the product it will be represented based on what product you're looking at. Here's an example:
24 pack cans - 24

6 pack cans - 6

Single cans -1
If you looked at the inventory level of the 24 pack you would see 24 (expressed in total units per case), if you looked at the 6 pack you'd see 6 (your total inventory would be expressed as 6 packs), if you looked at the singles you'd see 1(inventory expressed in single cans).
Furthermore, when you buy the products from your suppliers the costing is shared as well. When you count your inventory it will tell you specifically which unit of measure you counted for record's sake and everything goes into the same "bucket" if you will. Lastly, when you look at reporting it's important if you use this report that you use the Quantity on hand reports that state that they are "UOM". These reports will only show you one of these three products based on whichever entry you've designated as your primary UOM. If you look at the standard inventory reports you'll see 3 rows which would technically be tripling this value.

EXAMPLE WHERE BOTH ARE USED

With the beer example above the can that the cashier would scan for a 6 pack would also be the same barcode on the single can and is a great example of where both repeating barcodes and unit of measure are both used.

ALTERNATIVE TO USING REPEATING BARCODES

The repeating barcode functionality can be a lifesaver in many cases but it can also be a sore spot in some operations as cashiers are typically not paying much attention to the POS and therefore not responding to the prompt to select a product. If you'd like to avoid the prompt our recommendation would be to use the legitimate barcode for the 6 pack product only and set the product code for the single as "S000000000" where the zeros are replaced by the UPC. By prefixing the UPC with an "S" you avoid the need for a prompt and simply have to train your staff that if a product is a "single" then hit "s" before scanning the barcode.
KEYWORDS: parent child, parent/child, case pack, MPQ, tagalong, kit

FAQ

Q: The Sales by Department report on the EOD is missing some departments, why?
A: You can have UoM departments displayed in two ways, grouped, and ungrouped. If your UoM departments are group, then only the primary UoM product will be displayed under its department on the EOD report. If the UoM departments are ungrouped, then you will see the UoM child products under their own departments.

Example of grouped UoM:
My primary UoM product is "24 pack can" under the department of "24 pack" and has a child relationship of "6 pack can" that belongs to the "6 pack" department. When I sell (1) 6 pack can, the sale will appear under the "24 pack" department because the primary UoM belongs to the "24 pack" department.

Example of ungrouped UoM:My primary UoM product is "24 pack can" under the department of "24 pack" and has a child relationship of "6 pack can" that belongs to the "6 pack" department. When I sell (1) 6 pack can, the sale will appear under the "6 pack" department.

This setting can be changed under Global Enity Settings > Reports > Units of measure display logic.If you do not have the correct permissions to change this sitting, please contact support.

Some additional discussion about the above options is covered in this video: